This was different from other WW2 books and I appreciated that. This tugged at my heart.
Although the subject matter can be heavy at times, it’s not an overly sad book and would recommend to anyone who is looking for a different branch of history from WW2.

A heavy, powerful story that needs to be told. While these characters were fictional, the events they experience were not. It deserves to be told, in honor and memory of every person it represents. Set in 1938 to early 1940s, the nature of the Lebensborn program is brought to light. Allina finds herself at Hochland home and realizes very quickly things are not as they seem. I will not divulge any details as you truly need to read this to experience without anything being spoiled for you. Know that Allegri’s research is extensive, the emotions are captured palpably and the characters are complex. The story is moving and exposes much of the behind the scenes, how everyday people found themselves caught up in the movement and how some people risked everything to do the right thing.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Wonderful! Superb! Passionate and informative
This is a work of fiction but based on some facts such as Hitler’s desire to populate his world with perfect Aryan children. Knowing this book takes place mostly from the years of 1938 through 1941 and knowing that Hitler’s reign of terror did not end until 1945, the outcome for our characters is inevitable. Reading this phenomenal novel was like watching a sinking ship slipping slowly from the water’s surface. You know what will happen and that made reading this book so provocative; you must discover Allina and Karl’s stories. Even knowing that I cried throughout a portion of this book, I would read it again. It comes highly recommended.
The book begins as an 86yo mother gets hurts, her 66yo daughter must pick her up from the ER and figure out how to deal with her. Their roles have reversed. When they get back home from the ER Allina reluctantly shares her life before she came to America with Katrine. Allina’s story starts in 1938 when she was 17 or 18yo. This is a beautiful, intriguing and captivating romance at a terrible time in world history. For a glimpse of the time before the world got involved with what Hitler was doing in Europe, you must read this outstanding book. The author admits that this is a work of fiction but based on some known facts. Read it for yourself. Get a box of tissues! I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group. I would give this book more than five stars if I could. I am sorry to see this cast or characters go. They made me feel their pain and joy. Kudos to this author!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I’ve read a lot of WWII books but none on the Lebensborn Program.

Due to a declining birth rate & desire to increase Germany’s “Aryan” population, “baby factories” throughout Europe housed married and unmarried women whose role was to produce a superior race. Military metals were awarded to women based on the number of children they had.

Allina, (FMC) after learning of her own Jewish heritage, (which she kept hidden) & surviving the most traumatic night of her life, she is sent to Hochland. Under the “protection” of a high ranking Nazi officer, who hopes his assault on Allina will result in a pure blooded child for the Reich, she is given a job in the home.

Allina’s job opens her eyes to more of the atrocities imposed by the Nazi’s and her story of bravery, perseverance & sacrifice, both angered & left me in awe.

This book was well researched, engaging & a page turner. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

When Allina meets Karl, a high-ranking SS officer with secrets of his own, the two must decide how much they are willing to share with each other—and how much they can stand to risk as they join forces to save as many children as they can.

Allina just broke my heart in so many ways. But she never gives up as she struggles to survive.

There is so much to say about this novel! I had to wait a few days before I wrote my review. I had to let this one marinate.

Yes, I knew this occurred. But it is still hard to understand how this COULD have occurred. The author really takes you through some of the outcomes of this method used by the Germans. I really do not think I knew what they actually did to these children as babies. I knew they had homes for women to have babies for the Reich but I didn’t quite fathom the child care system. Cringeworthy!!

This is a book which will have you crying and angry all at the same time. This review still does not do this book justice. Just know…you need to read this now! Don’t wait. RUN!!!

Need an emotional read you won’t forget…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This book needs to be added to your “Historical Fiction Must Reads” list because it is absolutely fantastic! Strong female lead, world war 2, nazi experiments on children, unlikely friendship/love story, this story is steeped in history that isn’t usually talked about in casual conversation.

The story follows the lead, Allina, who is swept up in the horrible atrocities of Hitlers Germany in 1939. She is a Mischling, someone of Jewish decent. After a terrible, terrible night and losing everyone she ever loved, she is forced into servitude at a baby-factory. Yep. You read that correctly. Women of pure lineage are celebrated for creating the “perfect Aryan race” for the fatherland. The struggles she endures and the things she sees, makes my heart ache!

I specifically enjoyed the romance aspect of this story as it was totally unexpected in my opinion! The way it unfolded was so raw and beautiful. This whole story is heart wrenching and brave. Certainly recommend to all who love historical fiction!
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ʏᴏᴜʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
•historical fiction
•world war II history
•unlikely romance
•strong family ties

Allina Strauss was living with her aunt and uncle in a small German village at the start of World War II, and though the world was changing around her, she still felt safe and protected, until she was told that her mother was Jewish. Allina had to come to terms with the fact that everything she knew about her world was fabricated, including her name and her identity papers. After the brutal murder of her aunt and uncle, she was raped by an SS officer and taken to Hochland Home, a Lebensborn facility for young women eager to procreate for Hitler’s vision of a new Germany.

While caring for the Lebensborn children, Allina meets Karl von Strassberg, another SS officer, who convinces her to work with him in the Resistance. Soon, they fall in love, making their dangerous work even more so, and after Allina becomes pregnant, the two marry, and continue doing what they can to save and protect the children of Germany, Jewish children included.

The strength and courage of Allina and Karl, and the others like them, is unimaginable to me. How they managed to do the work of the Resistance while hiding their true feelings is incredible. The Sunflower House is a fascinating story that details the horrors of Hitler’s Germany while still showing hope for the future, and I loved every word.

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri was one of my favorite books of 2024. It was a very impressive debut novel. Adriana Allegri’s research for this book was impeccable and it was so well written as well. Although the setting for The Sunflower House was Germany during World War II, the topics that were explored were done in an unexpected and unique way. It was written in a dual timeline, focusing mostly on the past but resorted back to the present for clarity, commentary and occasional questions. I’ve read many books that have focused on the Lebensborn Program that the Nazis created during World War II and the Nazi’s handling of citizens that were categorized as Mischling but none as extensive and impressive as the way Adriana Allegri portrayed those two aspects in The Sunflower House. The two protagonists, Allina and Gruppenfuhrer Karl Van Strassberg, were brave, intelligent and very compassionate about what they believed in and eventually about each other.

Allina Strauss was brought up by her Aunt Claudia and Uncle Dieter in a small German town called Badensburg. Her life with her aunt and uncle had been idyllic for the most part. Allina had no memories of her biological mother or father and her aunt and uncle were gifted at avoiding the subject of her parentage when Allina brought it up. Over the course of 1939, when Allina was at the impressionable age of sixteen, her whole life changed in ways she never saw coming. Allina was in love with her longtime childhood friend, Albert, and expected and welcomed the idea of spending her life with Albert. War was on the horizon, though, and growing antisemitism was on the rise. Around this time, Allina learned that her beloved uncle was gravely ill. Uncle Dieter had been given a diagnosis that offered him little hope of survival. Allina was devastated by this news. Uncle Dieter felt compelled to finally share the identity of her parents with Allina during this time and how she had come to live with her Aunt Claudia and himself. Allina never could have imagined what Uncle Dieter now confessed to her about her parents.

Then just days after Uncle Dieter’s death and funeral, the Nazis led a surprise middle of the night attack on the town of Badensburg that resulted in a complete and utter massacre. Aunt Claudia was brutally shot. Allina had no one left. She had lost both her uncle and her aunt within days of each other. That was the night Allina Strauss became Allina Gottlieb but not before German soldiers tried to attack her sexually. A high ranking German officer, Gruppenfuhrer Gud, came to her rescue. Gruppenfuhrer Gud allowed Allina to return to her home to clean herself up and pack lightly. Allina was determined to keep the letters from her father that Uncle Dieter had given her just days before that she hadn’t even been able to read yet. She quickly sewed them into the lining of her coat before she bathed and cleaned herself up. When Gruppenfuhrer Gud collected her he brought her to Hochland House, one of the first Lebensborn facilities that the Nazis established, but not before he forced himself on her. Gruppenfuhrer Gud was old enough to be Allina’s grandfather. Allina Gottlieb was permitted to stay at Hochland House as staff, first in an administrative role and later with a position in the nurseries. The more Allina saw and learned about the practices at Hochland House, the more she questioned and found fault with them. Allina tried to isolate herself from all that was expected from her at Hochland House the best she was able to. That was not always an easy feat.

Then Gruppenfuhrer Karl van Strassburg came upon Allina one night in the nurseries. That chance meeting proved to be the catalyst that both required to stimulate a trust that grew between them. Allina tried to deny any feelings she was developing for Karl. The children’s welfare and safety proved to be the top priority for both Karl and Allina. It was quite unusual for a SS officer to question Nazi mandates and directives. Karl was not the usual SS officer though. Slowly over time Allina glimpsed the real Karl, not just the role he played as Gruppenfuhrer van Strassburg. They shared their stories with each other. A raw and beautiful love developed between them. Both Allina and Karl worked tirelessly to help the children who fell victim to the Lebensborn program and any Jewish children that they were able to help. They were both in constant danger of being exposed. Would their bravery and initiative allow them to help the innocent children they felt compassionate about? Could they learn to love each other or would war prevent them from being able to do that?

I really enjoyed reading The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri. My curiosity is heightened to see what Adriana Allegri will write next. I am a fan of her writing after reading The Sunflower House and look forward to reading her next book. It was a welcomed fact that Adriana Allegri chose to concentrate more on the children born at Hochland House and their routines and strict care rather than on the mothers or potential mothers that lived in the house. I really admired the bravery and resilience that Allina exhibited despite all the trauma she was subjected to. It must have been so hard for her not to want to or not to be able to share what happened to her with anyone for all those years. The Sunflower House spoke volumes about friendship, hope, love and doing what had to be done in order to protect others. It was both moving and heartfelt. I highly recommend The Sunflower House by Ariana Allegri if you enjoy historical fiction based on actual events that occurred during World War II.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It is an amazing, well researched historical fiction that kept me totally absorbed from the first page until the end. Told in dual timelines, it begins in present time with the discovery of a hidden box by the daughter of an elderly woman. Within the box is the story of Allina, a 16-year-old girl who survives a brutal attack, and the destruction of her small German village. Just before the attack, she discovered that her heritage was partly Jewish. Based on her forged papers, Alina is transported to a Lebensborn home. Devised by Henrich Himmler, Lebensborn homes were created for SS soldiers and young women to have as many children of pure blood as possible. As Allina lives with the daily fear of discovery of her secret, she begins to realize that the children in her care are purposely neglected as part of policy. She is both determined to survive, and to find a way to help as many children as possible. As the story evolves, Allina finds both purpose and love. Adriana Allegri has written a powerful book based on a brutal time in history, with strong and memorable characters. It is both a heart wrenching and heartwarming story of the resilience, determination, hope, and capacity for love for those who lived during this dark time in history. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri
For a debut novel this was a fantastic read. I had to give it a 4.5. I have read many novels regarding Germany, the War and other aspects but this was another take on it involving children and the ways the Germans set up “houses” like a bordello so they could keep the children who are blond and Aryan looking for their country. The women were never alowed to keep their babies.

Katrina discovers some shocking evidence in her mother’s closet. There her mother Allina tells her story of being born a Jew in Germany and how she as a nurse became involved in Hochland House, a eugenic program that churned out perfect Aryan children. She is a nurse who worked at Hackland House and once she realized what was happening there tried her best to make things better for the children and perhaps work out a way to remove some or all of them and get them to homes where they can live “normal” lives and not work for the Motherland.

Allina’s village is attacked and she barely makes it out alive – after killing almost the whole village, the soldiers went on a rampage and found every girl or woman and raped and killed them; she somehow made it out alive but not unscathed. She is taken to the House to work there and there she meets Office Karl vonStrassberg who has his own set of secrets and the two make plans to save as many children as possible.

This story is so heartbreaking – as to Allina, Karl and the children – how they all cope and try to help the children. This is one story I highly recommend – it was a beautiful and heartbreaking story of what another phase of the War was like. If you can I would definitely suggest picking up a copy today – you will laugh and you will cry but it is well worth it

I was intrigued by "The Sunflower House" by Adriana Allegri. A powerful historical fiction about the Nazi Arian "Baby Factory" during WWII. A strong woman, doing her best to survive and help the children, hiding big secrets, and telling her daughter this tale in current times. Was very good! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

The story of one woman's fight to survive during WW2, finding love, and working at a baby factory. She meets one SS officer who protects her and helps her to escape.

Not only did I absolutely love this, but apparently so has everyone else because I AM SEEING THIS EVERYWHERE.

Warning, it's sad and at times hard to read, but please, please read it. Such amazing writing and beautiful characters. I couldn't put it down.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a super deep, super heavy read about a horrible part of WWII (and even pre-WWII): eugenics.
Going into this book, I knew nothing about Lebensborn or eugenics or anything of the sort. It is not something I was taught in history classes. It disturbed me to my core.
We have our main character Allina, who goes to live and work at Hochland Home (a lebensborn facility) after the most horrible thing happens to her. I loved Allina. She was the perfect main character for this story. She wanted to change the program and actually help these children and treat them like humans. She despised the n*zis and their leader. Yet she does something I didn't think she would do - she falls for an SS officer, Karl.
I'm always iffy on books that feature members of the n*zi party as main characters. Karl is an SS officer. He is written well. He's also very ambiguous and I couldn't tell if he liked or hated what he had to do. Turns out he hated the eugenics program and everything to do with the state of Germany in this time period. Doesn't excuse his actions, though.
I didn't love everything about this book (like how our MMC is smuggling the Jewish people out of Germany but continuing to hide behind his SS uniform... which I know they had to do back then but this is historical *fiction*, it could've strayed from reality a liiiitle bit there), but I did love how this story was told and how much emotion was behind it, which is why it still gets five stars. It also taught me something I knew nothing about.
Overall, super emotional read with underlying feelings of hope for a better future. This book also reminds us that sometimes the truth isn't pretty but it should always be spoken.

This is such an amazing read. A lot of the content is very tough to read, but the most profound books are the ones that are tough to read and make you think.

We follow a girl that has everything taken from her. She is taken to one of the famous Lebensborn houses after being violated by an SS officer in the hopes that she will bear his child. Over her time in this house she uncovers horrendous secrets about the children being born in these houses and makes it her mission, along with some others, to save as many children as possible.

I loved this from start to finish. This is the second book I’ve read about these special breeding houses. It was just as horrifying this time. If you’re into WWII historical fiction pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed.

Katrine finds out that her mother, Allina needs a ride home from the hospital’s emergency room. Allina fell off the stool while in her closet. Katrine goes to her mother’s closet to take the stool away from her. She doesn’t want her mother to get hurt. Katrine finds a loose floorboard and prays it off to fix it. To her surprise, she finds a box with a swastika on the top — it is a symbol of hate with remnants of Allina’s love story. Allina tells it in one day. She tells the story of her childhood in Germany and her journey to America. She never told the story to Katrine. She explains how she left her home and is “captured” by a high ranking German officer. He delivers her to a part of Heinrich Himmler’s eugenics program, Lebensborn—a “baby factory” devoted to providing children to “pure” German families. At first Allina stays in bed as she can’t forget the horror she has gone through. Finally, she is able regain her sense even though she is very weak. They have her work in the office first. Eventually, she becomes a nurse. She is taught what she is to do with babies. They aren’t to be cuddle, sung to or anything that parents do. The nurse keeps all details on each baby such as weight, length, etc. the mothers of the babies sees them only when it is time to feed them. They are indifferent to their babies. Allina finds it difficult at first but appreciates how busy she is which keeps her bad memories from thinking about them. One night she picks up a baby and sings to it. She is caught doing it by a SS officer Karl von Strassberg, but he tells her, he won’t tell. Why? Allina worries about being reported for picking up the baby and singing to it. When Karl sees her, he knows that she isn’t like the other women that are part of the baby factory. He works at getting to gain her friendship so that he can ask her to spy for him. Why?

While the author does have some romance in the novel, it is also questions what is duty, morality, circumstance, and sacrifice is to a person. How far does one go? The historical details included in the novel are well researched. It is a dark part Of Germany’s plan for it to have only perfect people. it’s an excellent novel.

Beautiful prose. I love this book from beginning to end. I will recommend it to everyone. This author is new to me, but I will continue to pick up anything they publish. This book grabbed my heart and soul from the very beginning.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣
𝗔𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶
Historical Fiction
336 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
Alina finds herself at Hochland Home, part of the Lebensborn Program in Nazi Germany, known as a baby factory.

She catches the attention of Karl, who is a high-ranking officer in the SS. Will she end up like the rest of the girls there, providing “racially pure” children for Nazi couples or is there more to her story?

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
This intense read gives a glimpse of Heinrich Himmler’s eugenics program. The whole story is upsetting, but what happened to the babies with special needs curled my stomach.

The fact that there were several of these baby-producing homes is flabbergasting. How could any human think any of this was ok?

The author did a spectacular job with this book. It starts in the present when a daughter discovers something life-changing about her mother’s past. Then, the reader is taken into the past to learn about what happened to Alina. Her story plays out and then brings us back to the present.

Emotions are strong throughout the book. It shows how brave and dangerous it was for those secretly trying to help those who couldn’t help themselves.

The story moves at a good pace, the characters pull at your heartstrings, and there is much to learn about this topic. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in this topic.

💕Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

I was well aware of the Lebensborn program in which young women were housed in homes to satisfy the needs of the German Nazi military, while providing pure Aryan children. This novel did present the horrors of the Nazi era, the cruelty and barbarism. My only hesitation for five stars is my disbelief that an SS man, attaining the title Karl did, would risk himself for Allina, a young German girl of mixed Jewish and German ancestry. Otherwise, Allina’s story drew me in. When her daughter realizes her mother’s history, which changes Katrina’s approach to her life, their attempt to reconnect to their Judaism resonated. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I first learned about the Lebensborn program 25 years ago while watching a History Channel documentary. It’s popping up in more historical fictikn which is good because I don’t think many people are aware of it.
Allegri’s approach is a unique one about Allina who worked at the very first Lebensborn home.
It’s chilling but provocative.
I learned a few new pieces of information from the author’s note.
Topics like these need to be read and studied because they are a reminder of a painful past.